To Face A Dragon
by LilithiaRW
Summary: "I was hoping to persuade you to join me on an adventure." Gandalf proposed. "If you want drugs, you're in the wrong tavern. Look into the alley between Shipwreck Davies and the weaponsmith." "I assure you I am quite serious." Gandalf smiled at her. Wait, he wanted to SAVE the dragon? "...Bullocks." Party banter and sassy talk was all in a day's work. Grumpy OC, no romance.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own LOTR or the HOBBIT. If I did, I would not be using this site and would be printing my own books, rolling in money, and living a carefree and happy life. But no, I'm a broke college student. Dammit.**

***sigh* Not another OC story!**

**Yes, another OC story, haha. I hope you all enjoy!**

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><p>"Go away."<p>

Gandalf felt the weight of the woman's scowl before he even made eye contact. He had ridden an eagle south to the far country of Harad where the great forests of Gondor flattened into sloping hills and sweeping plains. Harad was a loose term for the various alliances of city-states which were largely located on the western coastline where they flourished on trade with Gondor and Eriador. It was not a united land, but the people were strong and prosperous, and far more diverse than the northern countries. In the average marketplace of Harad one would see the tanned tribal men from the east, ebony skinned strangers from mysterious lands further south, and the pale men of the north. Dwarves were common too, especially dwarves which held no relation to the dwarves of the north where Gandalf hailed from. These were dwarves from the east, slighter than what Gandalf was used to seeing, but just as rough and rowdy. He had yet to see any elves this far south, though he had heard of foreign elf races in the far east, though they never traveled west and preferred to trade through caravan middle-men.

The woman that sat before him was none of these things. Her skin was a golden-brown, to which many would simply assume that she was a descendant of the eastern tribes. Reinforcing the notion were the tattoos which spread across her body, arcing strokes of black which followed the lines of her body, making her look longer and thinner. They spread to her face too, looping flowers and swirls gracing her forehead like a crown before twining gracefully down her temples until the tips brushed the top of high, sharp cheekbones. In the hollows cast by her cheekbones on either side were two thin streaks in a shape, the lower ends trailing down to her jawline and extending down her neck where they joined the rest of her tattoo swirls across her collarbone.

However Gandalf knew that this woman was of a far greater lineage than the eastern wildmen. When she turned to glare at the wizard, dark chocolate eyes flashed golden in the dim light of the bar and the air crackled as she briefly touched her magic to his, warning him that she was ready to fight if need be. Not that the woman would need magic to defeat him, Gandalf mused as he glanced at the woman's armor and weapons. She was traveling light today, which wasn't saying much.

"I mean you no harm, my lady." Gandalf assured her.

The woman scoffed, turning back to her drink at the bar. Her hair was plaited into intricate braids, tinkling with beads and feathers. Her ears were hidden by her hair, but Gandalf had seen previously that her ears were far longer and more pointed than any elf, and were strewn with piercings and small chains linked by studs. Odd indeed. She drank her spirit in earnest, speaking to Gandalf over her shoulder. "You've been watching me for days. I thought maybe you would just go away, but no. You insist on being a pain in my ass. What do you want from me, old man?"

"Surely you do not believe that I am merely an old man?" Gandalf posed his question good naturedly, eyes twinkling as they were wont to do.

Again, the woman scoffed into her drink. "Of course not. I can feel your magic. It makes me wonder what a powerful being like you is doing bothering an insignificant little thing like me."

Gandalf laughed heartily at her dry wit. True, the woman was quite short, but any man with eyes and a brain could see that she was hardly insignificant. Only an idiot would dare pick a fight with a woman that was clearly a trained killer.

"I was hoping to persuade you to join me on an adventure." Gandalf proposed.

The woman languidly spun around on her bar stool, peering lazily at the old man over the rim of her pint. "If you want drugs, you're in the wrong tavern. Look into the alley between Shipwreck Davies and the weaponsmith."

"I assure you I am quite serious." Gandalf smiled at her.

She gave him a flat stare. "…Bullocks. Your crazy aren't you? A crazy sorcerer?"

Gandalf chuckled at her continued denial. That only seemed to anger her, however, judging by the way the leather of her gloves creaked from how tight her grip on the ale mug was. The other guests in the tavern began to not-so-subtly scoot away from the imposing woman who was quite infamous in the port city underground. Before the woman could lose her temper, Gandalf flared his magic so that it touch upon her senses in a brief wave, not enough to stagger her, but enough for her to realize who he was.

"Istari…" The woman breathed, eyes widening before narrowing into dangerous slits. "Why is one of your kind here?"

"We need you, my lady." Gandalf admitted.

She stood abruptly, slamming her ale mug onto the counter. The bartender and patrons jumped at the sound, many beginning to slip out of the tavern to avoid what they thought was sure to be a bloody confrontation.

"I vowed never to return to your lands, istari!" The woman hissed. "I refuse!"

"The darkness is rising again." Gandalf pleaded with her. "They will be looking for servants –"

"All the more reason to never return." She sneered. "In case you have conveniently forgotten, istari, my people were slaughtered in the War of the Last Alliance. There are no more of us. I have nothing to offer you in the coming conflict."

"Then at least do what you can!" Gandalf rebutted, gripping his staff. "A dragon sleeps in Erebor –"

"Smaug?" The woman interrupted. "That old lizard is still in that musty old mountain?"

"Indeed." Gandalf nodded. "And a company of dwarves wish to retake their kingdom. They are intent on slaying the dragon."

"Fat chance." The woman snorted. "Smaug will turn them into crispy critters before they can even waggle their beards."

Gandalf sighed in exasperation. "I want to save him, my lady."

The woman choked on her next words, patting her chest and clearing her throat with a grimace. "W-What? Are you insane?! Wait, why am I asking you this, obviously you are…"

"If Smaug can be swayed to our side then we have a higher chance of thwarting the Dark One when he rises once again!" Gandalf persuaded, smacking his staff on the wooden floorboards to emphasize his point.

"And what makes you think that I am the one who can do this?" She raised one eyebrow and gave the wizard a disbelieving look.

"Your people were dragon-tamers, were they not?" Gandalf questioned.

The woman glared at the wizard but gave him a noncommittal hum.

Gandalf nodded, unsure of what she meant by that answer. He motioned for her to follow him, explaining as he spoke. "You will be travelling with a company of the dwarves of Erebor, one of which is the rightful heir to their lost kingdom. He will be the leader of the company, though I warn you, Thorin will be quite displeased at your presence –" The woman rolled her eyes at the thought –" but the rest of the dwarves are reasonable men. There will be one other member of the company who is not a dwarf, and that is our burglar. The journey will begin at Master Baggin's estate, to which I will guide you."

Gandalf led his guest through the streets of the southern city, silently cursing his heavy cloak as the southern sun beat down upon them. The woman was unaffected by such weather however, wearing light leather and used to the heat. It had been a long time since she had been up north. Gandalf pressed onwards to the city limits, leading her to a rare cluster of trees where their ride awaited.

The woman paused as she stared at the giant eagle. She turned to give the wizard a flat glare. "You _ride_ this?"

"'_This'_ has a name, human." The eagle huffed, ruffling his feathers at her dismissal of him. "Although," The eagle sniffed the woman, making her draw away with narrowed eyes, "you do not smell very human. Although the stench of ale could have convinced me otherwise."

The woman scowled at the great bird. "Great, a sassy eagle. Anything else up your sleeve, istari?" She turned to Gandalf with a sardonic look.

The wizard chuckled. "Well, I suggest you apologize to Gawain before you mount, otherwise the ride back will not be very pleasant."

Gawain preened at her expectantly. The woman's scowl darkened and she muttered about oversized pigeons and their equally oversized egos.

"I am sorry, humanoid, did you say something?" Gawain cocked his head and blinked his large gray eyes. "I am afraid I did not hear what you said."

"I said I apologize for my earlier rudeness and hope to have a lovely trip with you." The woman growled through her teeth with false sweetness. It didn't help that Gandalf found this highly amusing, eyes crinkling into crescent moon shapes with a suppressed smile. When the wizard turned to mount the eagle, she stuck her tongue out at the great bird. The bird's eyes flashed in amusement as the woman easily leapt onto its back and situated herself in front of the wizard.

"Hold on." The bird warned before taking to the skies. The woman lurched forward and grasped his plumage in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." She muttered, burying her face into the eagle's feathers and attempting to measure her breathing.

The wizard and eagle just laughed.

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

The Shire was a quaint place, she decided. Although, she could have done without the suspicious and scared glances she was receiving from its inhabitants. Of course, they were perfectly right to be wary of a cloaked stranger armed to the teeth, cowl hiding any facial detail with an unnatural darkness. If they hadn't, she would probably have worried for their mental states. But since Gandalf was known in the area, and always had he been a guardian to the peaceful people of Hobbiton, the Hobbits otherwise left her alone. Still, she was under no illusion that it was Gandalf that they trusted, and far from her.

Said wizard was taking long, easy strides through the sleeping hills, winding confidently through the maze of dirt paths. She easily lost track of how many dips and turns they had taken, only knowing that they were close to their destination when Gandalf angled their route towards a certain Hobbit hole. The round door was nestled in the side of a lovely little hill, freshly painted in a forest green, only broken by an oddly glowing rune. Several blooms were strategically placed along the stairs leading up to the door, adding a friendly aroma in the air. Everything looked so peaceful, until they approached the door.

The commotion coming from behind the door sounded like a small war!

Her hand was already reaching for the pommel of her sword when Gandalf lifted a placating hand. His eyes twinkled, and she realized it was probably dwarven revelry. _This is gonna wear on my instincts… _She resisted the urge to rub her forehead in annoyance, already imagining the dwarves attempting to wake her in the morning only to find a dagger in their throats. She would have to be extra careful to keep her violent reactions to a minimum.

Gandalf knocked quite loudly on the door in order to be heard over the dwarven chanting. A haggard-looking hobbit answered the door, his indignant expression turning into dismay at the sight of Gandalf and a cloaked stranger. She felt a twinge of pity for the little guy, knowing that dwarves were not easy creatures to put up with.

"Gandalf." The hobbit sighed with a flat look, looking at him as if he should have expected the wizard to be behind the whole debacle. She held back a giggle.

"Sorry I'm late!" Gandalf exclaimed, nearly doubling over in order to enter the short doorway, skillfully ignoring the spluttering hobbit. He was already heading towards the dining room where a loud roar of welcome rose up from the table of dwarves.

The hobbit sighed and pulled on his curls in frustration, before abruptly turning to face her, as if he had forgotten her presence. He stared nervously at her cloaked figure. "Are you –" he cleared his throat nervously –"Are you a part of this as well?"

She let out a low chuckle, and the small man jumped at her distinctly _feminine_ sound. Right, he probably was not expecting a woman. None of the men in the company would. Her cloak parted as she lifted a hand to pat his head gently, although the hobbit was too busy staring at the blade sheathed at her side the moment her cloak shifted.

"I am just as unwilling in this as you are, my small friend." She murmured softly. The hobbit blinked dazedly at her, as if mesmerized by her voice. Right, unexpected female presence.

"Y-you…"

But she was already stepping through the doorway, slightly put out by the fact that she did not even have to dip her head to avoid the archway. Sometimes she forgot how short she was. _I swear if any of those dwarves are taller than me, I will pitch a fit,_ she thought ruefully.

By natural instinct she stuck to the shadows, making herself comfortable in a darkened corner of the parlor. The parlor was connected by an archway into the dining room, giving her an easy view into the dwarf-infested room. No one noticed her presence, and the hobbit was too busy complaining and subsequently being ignored.

The dwarves were curious creatures. She did not think that she had ever seen a race with so much hair! The various braids and beaded ornamentations reminded her of own, although sans beards. And what glorious beards they possessed. The squat and fat dwarf in particular had a thick, looping braid of red that rest atop his generous belly. Still, the sight of the dwarves worried her. They were not all warriors, that much was clear. In fact, she would guess more than one or two of those dwarves were too old to be taking part in a perilous quest. She frowned, wondering if the exiled dwarves of Erebor were truly so desperate.

"Why are you so late, Master Gandalf?" One of the dwarves asked the istari.

"Ah, well you see I had to travel very far to fetch…" the wizard trailed off as he looked around, realizing that he had lost the subject of his sentence. "Oh now where did that little one run off to?"

She bristled at the nickname but resisted the urge to snap at him, placating herself by imagining herself pick up a nearby bowl of fruit and throwing each piece one by one at his stupid pointy hat. The thought was surprisingly comforting.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Everyone seemed to freeze at the sound.

"He is here." Gandalf stated solemnly as he rose to answer the door. She furrowed her brows; just how large was this company supposed to be?

Swinging open the entrance to the hobbit hole, Gandalf was greeted by a deep, resonating voice. Yet another dwarf stepped inside, although this one held himself differently than the rest. He was older, but not yet past his prime. His face was lined with stress and worry, looking as if it were permanently set into a scowl. His beard was neatly trimmed and contoured to his face, and his hair was surprisingly neat and combed. One could easily tell that he was noble, for there was no mistaking the authority of his voice, nor the rich dyes and furs of his clothing. Ah, this must be the exiled king then. Yes, Gandalf had warned him of his rather grumpy nature.

"I thought that you said that this place would be easy to find," Thorin said in a haughty voice to the wizard, unfastening his cloak, "Wouldn't have found it at all, had it not been for that mark on the door."

This comment seemed to disturb the hobbit very much as he began to protest something about the door being newly paint and whatnot. Poor sod. He still had yet to learn that there was no winning when Gandalf decided to meddle about.

"Bilbo Baggins," Gandalf addressed the hobbit, "Allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Thorin Oakenshield."

"So… this is the hobbit." The dwarf king gazed arrogantly at the smaller man. He then began to interrogate the hobbit about his fighting skills (or lack thereof from what she had observed already), circling him like a predator, finally ending his insult with, "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

The other dwarves laughed right on cue, and the hobbit –Bilbo if she remembered correctly –glared after them. Aha, so there _was_ a fighting spirit hidden inside. Perhaps the peaceful little guy would learn how to fight after all, given time. He would certainly have the opportunity during the course of the quest. Perchance she would even help him along.

Gandalf ushered Bilbo into the dining room to join the company seated around the table, though while Bilbo continued to stare incredulously at the dwarves, the wizard glanced around the house for any trace of his other guest.

"Oh come now!" Gandalf huffed, seemingly to no one in particular. "You can't hide from them forever!"

Quite at home in her little shadowy corner, the intended of Gandalf's comment sneered but declined to make a comment. She had never gotten along with dwarves, and her first impression of Thorin Oakenshield was that any conversation between the two of them would likely turn into an all-out war. For a brief moment she considered slipping out the door and disappearing into the night, but she knew that Gandalf was not so easily dissuaded.

"Gandalf!" The voice of the dwarf-king called from the dining room. "I thought you said there would be one more person!"

Gandalf stared pointedly in the direction of her little corner before turning to address Thorin. "Ah, hm, our other guest seems to avoiding us all."

She crept closer to the entrance of the dining room, though she kept out of sight of the entryway so that only Gandalf could see her.

"Whatever for?" Thorin scoffed. "Invite them in so that I may have a look at them."

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

The company of dwarves leaned forward onto the table, each just as curious as the next to see what all the hubbub was about this last member. Bilbo showed interest too, remembering the fact that this member was a woman, of all things. The hobbit glanced at Thorin, wondering how the uppity dwarf king was going to react to her presence. He doubted that this would go over well.

Gandalf stepped to the side as a figure hidden by a gray cloak seemed to materialize next to him. Bilbo could hear a couple of the dwarves gasp at the sudden ominous appearance. Thorin Oakenshield narrowed his eyes as he, and a few of the older dwarves as well, noted how slender the figure was. But surely Gandalf would never invite a woman…? The king knew that it was probably too much to hope for from the peculiar wizard. That man always found a way to start a scandal.

"My friends," Gandalf's voice cut through the tense silence, "May I introduce Lady –"

"I can introduce myself, thank you Gandalf." A soft, chiming voice interrupted. Several of the dwarves jerked at the sound of the feminine voice.

Before the woman even had time to remove the hood of her cloak, Thorin was standing up in anger, his chair scraping the floor loudly, and his hands slamming onto the table. He appeared akin to a storm, black hair streaked with gray, eyes dark and flashing, expression just as terrifying. "Absolutely not!"

Gandalf pinned the dwarf-king with a scolding look but Thorin would have none of it. "A quest is no place for a woman!"

The woman in question scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. The action caused her cloak to ripple like liquid silver as it fell open with the position of her arms. A small, lithe figure was revealed, armored in reinforced leather from the chest down (as her face was still obscured), knee-high boots with steel plating on the toe, heel, and knees. Elbow-length gloves could be seen, again with sharpened steel on the elbows and sharp metal knuckles, the fingertips cut off for dexterity, although it was still hard to determine skin tone. Those who studied her were aware of the two sword-pommels that hung at her hips, and noted the dagger strapped to her right thigh and another just barely peeking out from her left boot.

If one were to ask Bilbo, this woman was looked far more appropriate for a dangerous quest than half of the dwarves in the company. However this mattered little to Thorin. It was the principle of the matter! The dwarf-king did not care whether humans took care of their women or not, dwarves certainly would never allow a woman of any race to leap headlong into battle!

"Do not be rash, Thorin!" Gandalf admonished. "You need her! I daresay she will be the most helpful person on this quest!"

The very idea seemed ludicrous to Thorin. Yet as he opened his mouth to continue arguing with the wizard, someone silenced them all.

"That is enough!" She did not have to raise her voice, but by the sound of the hard, biting edge that her words took on, she might as well have. One of her hands calmly reached up, long fingers tipped by darkly painted nails that gave the illusion of claws, and pushed down her cowl. At the sight of her face, several of the dwarves began to choke on their beverages, while others (most notably the two younger dwarves) simply stared at her with their mouths agape. Thorin, to his credit, managed to hide most of his reaction, although he failed to keep his eyes from widening in surprise.

However Bilbo nearly fell out of his seat in surprise. Tattoos! Piercings! And –and –why were her ears so pointy? When the hobbit had first heard her voice, soft and controlled and charming, he had expected an elven woman, or at least a very sophisticated human woman. But this! He had never seen anything like her before! Skin tanned to gold, swirling black lines of ink, _extremely_ pointed ears lined with piercings. Her dark chocolate hair was pulled back and plaited into intricate braids, with feathers and beads woven into them quite like the dwarves did. And when the woman flashed them a small smirk, her dark eyes glinted gold and suddenly Bilbo was very aware that she was not quite… human.

The woman bowed swiftly, though the bow was foreign to them. She crossed the right arm across her chest and the left one swept to the side with a flourish, crossing her right leg behind the left in a stance that reminded Bilbo of a dancing position.

"Wha.." Someone began to ask but she interrupted whoever had spoken.

"You may call me Leo." Now she grinned and Bilbo swore he saw the flash of a fang. "And I will be traveling to Erebor, whether you agree to have me or not."

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. Please review! I don't quite know how long this story will be, though I already know that it will be quite complicated. I am quite excited to face the challenge though ^_^<strong>

**~Lilithia**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I was surprised that I had reviews for the first chapter so quickly! I am new to Tolkien-based fanfiction, so please be kind. Also, my reverence to Tolkien and his amazing talents knows no bounds –I can only pray that this meager fanfic will accomplish even a fraction of the appreciation that his works have garnered. And so I say to you:**

**I don't own LOTR or the HOBBIT.**

**Responses to reviews:**

**Trolling Tauriel****: I did not invent Leo's race, however she is neither human, elf, nor orc (and obviously not dwarf lol). Her race is a surprise ;) Don't worry, I will be leaving hints throughout the story. However I do not plan to explicitly reveal what she is until much later. Also, as to the matter of describing my character, I assure you Chapter 1 will be one of the few, if not the only part of the story where I give her description.**

**Rianiel: Thank you for your excitement! I am glad that you enjoyed this. I hope that my readers will have as much fun reading this as I have writing it!**

**alexma: Thank you for your feedback! I am glad that you approve of my character, I hope that she will be truly unique.**

**Please Enjoy~**

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><p>"No! I refuse!"<p>

Thorin and Gandalf glared at each other so intensely that one could almost imagine sparks of lightning flashing between them. Of course, she wouldn't put it past the wizard to do just that, however Leo doubted that he would do so in the presence of non-magic folk. Maybe if he were to get into an argument with another wizard. Hm, that would be terrifying.

Leo shifted her weight onto one leg, arms still crossed as she gazed around the room in a bored manner, content to let Gandalf argue in her favor and ignore Thorin's words. What she could not ignore, however, was the fact that aside from the pissing match beside her, the rest of the men in the room were staring holes through her very soul. Yup, here came a migraine.

"Women are not meant for battle!" Thorin's argument suddenly shifted to women-bashing, drawing the ire of Leo's raging inner feminist. "They are the hearth keepers! They tend to children! They most certainly do not take up arms and go on quests that do not even concern them!"

"And who are you to tell me what I am meant to do, simply due to my oh-so-fragile lady parts?" Leo snapped, drawing the king's ire from Gandalf to her person. "I can assure you, Sir Oakenshield, that part of your quest most certainly pertains to me! Not to mention that I am clearly more qualified for undertaking this mission than half of your men!"

The dwarves in the room bristled at this, but Leo ignored them. She fought to keep her temper in check and voice level, knowing that should her temper rise any further that her eyes might start glowing. And that was no bueno.

Thorin's scowl was so intense that she imagined hearing thunder roaring at the sight of it. "You dare insult my men? These are the finest and most loyal warriors of Erebor!"

Leo snorted. "Of their loyalty I have no doubt. But to be frank, more than a few of your men have seen too many winters," she then glanced at the two younger dwarves that had been introduced as Thorin's nephews, "And for others, they have not seen nearly enough."

The dark-haired dwarf prince stood in anger, only to be pulled back down by his blonde brother, who whispered soothing words. Gandalf looked quite dismayed that Leo was only making the situation worse for herself, yet the woman hardly cared. Loyalty and bravado were all good and nice until someone got decapitated. She had been through enough wars to know this. Thorin, she feared, was deluding himself, or worse, he was actually so desperate. The sooner he faced the truth, the safer they would all be.

"And what of you?" Thorin huffed, bracing his hands on the table and leaning forward, his dark eyes zeroing in on her youthful face. Leo was dismayed to see that they were the same height. Oh bother. "You are a mere girl! Do not lecture me on the abilities of my own men!"

Looking back, it was probably not the best thing to do when Leo snickered at Thorin's comment. "I am flattered that you perceive me so young, little king. And to rise to your metaphorical cock fight –" a few of the gentler ears in the room flinched at her vulgarity –" I am, in fact, the veteran of quite a few wars."

To this statement, Thorin looked quite unconvinced, half expecting her to be lying. He glanced at the wizard and was surprised to see the wise man nod in agreement. So she was experienced then? Regardless, Thorin would not have such a blatantly disrespectful person among his company. She was already questioning his leadership skills, and they had yet to even set foot onto the road! No, her attendance would only cause disorder among the men. Thorin could already see that that her presence made his men uncomfortable at best, if not outright disturbed by her outlandish appearance and very _un_-ladylike manners.

Thorin narrowed his eyes and turned to Gandalf. "No. That is my final decision and I will not be swayed." The dwarf king growled.

Leo fought to keep a victorious smirk off of her face. In all honesty, she really had tried. Oh well. Home free! She swiveled around and began walking towards the door, tossing over her shoulder, "Oh well, I tried oh-so-hard, looks like I won't be coming after all, toodles!"

Gandalf spluttered in indignation as the woman swept out of the hobbit hole before he even had a chance to stop her. Had that been her plan all along? Perhaps Thorin was the reason she had made her decision. The wizard glanced at the dwarf-king with a sigh. The man had a tendency to do that to people –namely drive them away with his subtly and charm. Or lack of.

"Now look what you've done." Gandalf bemoaned and turned to glare at Thorin. "Do you have any idea how much effort it took for me to convince her to come? You asked for my help, Thorin Oakenshield, and she was an extension of that! Did you ever stop to think that I had a very good reason for her coming?"

Thorin opened his mouth to retort and Gandalf swatted him on the back of the head like one would a child. The entire room stared with gaping mouths at the sight of their king being chided like a spoiled brat.

"No! You never stop to think!" Gandalf continued after disrupting the dwarf-king, "The world does not revolve around brute force! This is why we chose to hire a burglar. But if you continue to treat a stealth mission like a war-front we will be doomed to fail! More damning is the fact that you alienate what little allies you have left!"

With a huff Gandalf took a trinket out of his pocket and threw it onto the table, the sound of heavy metal clattering on the wooden boards. Then the wizard stomped outside to smoke his pipe and calm down. Thorin glanced down and froze when he saw what the wizard had left them. Everyone else at the table was staring, for that matter.

Slowly, Thorin reached for the key and gingerly picked it up.

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

He found the wizard angrily puffing his cheeks with pipe-weed smoke. Thorin paused for a moment to simply stare at the wizened man blowing rings of smoke before approaching and joing Gandalf on the garden bench. The wizard ignored him.

"I… I was rash." Thorin muttered. "I am always rash. And proud. And I am sorry if I insulted you, my old friend." Thorin was quiet for another beat before adding, "However my decision still stands about the woman."

Gandalf harrumphed and blew out a large column of smoke. This one took on the form of a dragon and flew in a circle before suddenly rushing towards Thorin and dissipating upon contact. The dwarf-king flinched at the sight of a dragon, however small, hurdling towards him. He glared at Gandalf, but knew that there were worse way for a wizard to express his ire, and so wisely kept his mouth shut.

Gandalf sighed. "It matters not. I imagine that we will come across Leo later in our travels anyway."

Thorin glanced sharply at the wizard, who only chuckled in response.

"She did say that she was going to Erebor with or without us." Gandalf pointed out. "I imagine she will just have a head start before us."

"What does she want in Erebor?" Thorin asked defensively, thinking about the many riches of the mountain that rightfully belonged to him and his people. And most certainly _not_ her.

Gandalf made a calming gesture with his hand as he took another drag of pipe-weed. "You are being rash again." He admonished the king. "She is after the dragon, not your gold."

Thorin blinked in confusion. "What does she want with Smaug?"

To this Gandalf snorted bitterly. "Well if you had given Leo a chance, you would have found out that she is a dragon-tamer. Or hunter, depending. It is her job to go after dragons."

Well she was definitely not the first person Thorin would imagine to be a dragon-tamer. He was staring to regret his decision now, not that the king would ever admit it even to himself. Besides, the strange woman had already left. The king and wizard lapsed into silence for another moment.

"How came you by this?" Thorin held up the large metal key.

Gandalf glanced over at the exiled king, exhaling another large puff of smoke. "It was given to me by your father. By Thrain. For safekeeping."

The look on Thorin's face was a curious mix of wonder and gratitude, slightly suppressed due to his stunted emotional skills.

"It is yours now." Gandalf stated, looking away with another puff of his pipe. With a sigh, figuring that he had dwelt long enough on his frustrations, Gandalf stood and gestured for Thorin to follow him back into the hobbit hole.

They rejoined the company at the dining table, Gandalf skillfully ignoring the tense atmosphere and nervous looks that the men sent Thorin. Thorin took a seat next to the wizard as Gandalf pulled out an old, slightly worn map, spreading it out on the table for all to see.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls." Gandalf pointed out with the end of his pipe.

"There's another way in!" Kili exclaimed. The other dwarves patted each other's backs and shot satisfied smirks to one another.

'_Thank you, Captain Obvious.'_

Gandalf nearly jerked in surprise at the female voice in his head. _Leo?_

'_Yeah, yeah. I am lurking not too far from here. I have to know which path you lot intend to take, after all.'_

Gandalf returned his attention to the dwarves in front of him. "But if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible." He huffed in frustration. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it –but! –there are others in Middle Earth who can."

'_You manipulative old coot.'_ Leo's voice rang appreciatively in his head, making Gandalf's eyebrow twitch in irritation. An argument broke out amongst the dwarves over the authenticity of Bilbo's thief resume, and whether it was right to bring such a gentle little hobbit on such a dangerous journey. Gandalf's anger rose yet again –'_At this rate you're going to have a stroke, istari'_ – as he stood up and defended Bilbo's honor.

_This is going to be a long journey._ Gandalf sighed wearily.

'_Maybe we can just gag the stunted king the entire way?... No really, Gandalf, I'm serious. Gandalf are you ignoring me? Gandalf!'_

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

The company set off early in the morning, first into town where they acquired ponies for every member, and two to carry supplies. Gandalf's horse seemed to appear out of the blue, not that anyone was really surprised given that Gandalf was always doing something unexpected. They left without the hobbit, not expecting the little guy to agree to the quest (although Gandalf insisted that they leave a contract behind for the fellow, much to their dwarven chagrin).

The dwarves very much appreciated the natural setting as they allowed their ponies to walk briskly down the dirt paths. Knowing that their journey would not be an easy one, Thorin allowed his men this time to relax before any of the dangers presented themselves. The hills were a vibrant shade of green, birds tittering about the treetops, and the smell of fresh rain and Gandalf's pipe lingered in the air. All seemed quiet –

"Wait! Wait!"

The company tensed for a moment before turning around, Gandalf looking particularly victorious as Bilbo Baggins came barreling down the path.

"Aye!" A couple of the nicer dwarves cheered at his arrival while Fili and Kili hoisted him up onto a spare pony. Fili took the contract from the hobbit's hands and tossed it over to Balin, who pocketed the paper.

Thorin glanced at Gandalf, who met his eyes with a twinkle. The wizard just knew that the hobbit would come! Gandalf sent Bilbo a gentle smile before reining his horse around to continue their trek. The wizard's thoughts flitted to the last (unofficial) member of the company. Leo had yet to contact him, but Gandalf had no doubt that she was not too far off.

The king scowled at the pleased wizard and ordered his men to carry on. The company once again traveled on, this time with one more person in tow. Thorin brooded silently over the fact that the crazy woman was also going to join them somewhere along the way; at least Gandalf seemed sure of it. And though Gandalf was half-lunatic, Thorin knew that the wizard was seldom wrong. Much to the frustration of anyone who was unfortunate enough to befriend him.

They reached Bree by midmorning and briefly stopped to buy fresh bread for the road. Bree was considered the edge of civilization and the beginning of the wilds. From their they traveled between the Weather Hills and the South Downs, the trees ominously silent, though not many were surprised given that the South Downs were rumored to be haunted. They spent the day following the East-West Road until they reached the Last Bridge, by which time the sun had begun to set. Thorin slowed their train down and ordered everyone to be on the lookout for a good place to camp for the night.

The sharp-sighted Kili was the first to sight the old farmhouse, pointing it out to the rest of the company. Thorin gazed proudly at his nephew before leading his men towards the burnt-out barnhouse.

"We will stay here for the night." Thorin announced to the men, who immediately dismounted and began to unload their ponies. "Fili, Kili, look after the ponies."

Gandalf was looking about in what might have been mistaken for nervousness if it weren't for the serious look upon his face. "A farmer and his family used to live here," Gandalf muttered before raising his voice to catch Thorin's attention, "I think it would be wiser if we moved on, Thorin. We can make for the Hidden Valley."

The very thought of approaching elven lands disgusted Thorin, and by the way the dwarf-king's eyes darkened, Gandalf felt his hopes fall. The stupid king was too proud for his own good!

"I have told you already, I will not go near that place!" Thorin all but snarled, whirling around to glare at the wizard.

"I did not give you that map and key so that you could hold on to the past!" Gandalf snapped at the stubborn dwarf. By now the rest of the company slowed in whatever they had been doing and shamelessly listened in on the argument between wizard and king. Bilbo hovered slightly behind Gandalf, unsure of what he should do.

"I did not know that they were yours to keep!" Thorin retorted snidely.

Gandalf's cheeks reddened in outrage, spinning around with his robes flying outwards with the movement, stabbing his staff into the ground with each step that he took as he walked away. Bilbo glanced at the wizard in puzzlement before he finally realized that Gandalf intended to leave.

"Everything alright?" Bilbo attempted to slow down the wizard, moving his poor short legs quickly to keep up with the istari's long strides. His voice rose with a worried pitch. "Gandalf, where are you going?!"

Gandalf never slowed, not so much glancing at the sweet hobbit. "To seek the company of the only one around here who has any sense!"

Bilbo paused in confusion. "And who's that?"

"_Myself_, Master Baggins!" The wizard huffed, disappearing into the woods.

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

Gandalf never slowed as the shrubbery and shadows swallowed him into their midst. He did have any particular destination as he took long and angry strides, his frustration manifesting itself in wild sparks and small firework displays coming from his staff. He walked for a long while, puffing on his pipe in an attempt to calm himself.

'_Just going to leave the children by themselves?' _Leo's amused voice suddenly chimed, startling the istari.

_I did not realize that your magical talents were so extensive._ Gandalf replied, realizing that he had never confronted the woman about her mind-speech. The talent was rare enough for magic-folk, for it took years of meditation and rigid concentration, yet Leo had told him that she had only 'dabbled' in the magical arts. However Leo's voice reached his mind with an ease that had Gandalf doubting her supposedly 'lesser' skills.

'_I assure you, I have had many years of practice.' _Leo read his (quite loud) thoughts, her voice conveying her growing amusement. _'You do realize that the dwarves are bound to get into trouble without your presence? It is practically required by Fate. The moment that the intelligent one leaves, the idiots will find a way to fuck things up. Bumbling babble of baffoons, they are.'_

_Language, my lady._ Gandalf chided, although he felt his mood lightening at her sarcastic humor. _And I guess that just means that you will have to watch over them in my stead._

He felt a wave of emotion come from Leo: Annoyance. Gandalf smirked at that.

'_Oh joy, I get to be a glorified baby-sitter. How about **not**.'_

_Would you rather that they die before their goal can be reached? _Gandalf challenged her, although he meant the comment good-naturedly. However Leo's contemplative silence worried him. She wasn't seriously considering it, was she?

Leo snickered in his head, sounding as if she was laughing right by his ear. _'I do not need the dwarves to reach the mountain. In fact, it would probably be easier to persuade Smaug if they were not there. However you have pledged me to their quest, and I will honor my vows.'_

Gandalf was not reassured by this. Leo was a slippery woman, and if all that bound her to the welfare of the quest and the men was her promise to Gandalf, the wizard was suddenly unsure of her sincerity.

As if sensing his thoughts, Leo interrupted, _'Do not fear, istari. I may hold no love for the dwarves, however I have taken a liking to the little one. Hobbits are indeed just as curious as you described. His scent is unfamiliar, but fascinating. Earthy. Homey.'_

Gandalf paused in his walking. What an odd reason for fondness.

'_Oh whoops.'_ Gandalf felt Leo's attention shift elsewhere and got the impression of a slight danger. And knowing how blasé the woman tended to be, a slight danger was probably only a little less than catastrophic. _'Ho-hum, did I ever mention that I scented trolls around this area?'_

Gandalf froze. _What._

'_Ah, whoopsie-daisy. Well, Gandalf, I scented trolls earlier today.' _Leo re-stated as if she were commenting on the weather rather than a potentially quest-threatening scenario. He even got the impression that she was currently studying her nails. _'Oh dear, there go the ponies.'_

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><p><strong>Once again, a big thank you to my readers. You feedback is always appreciated! Read and Review!<strong>

**~Lilithia**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter! Once again, thank you to all my lovely viewers. I do not own LOTR or HOBBIT or anything else created by the almighty Tolkien.**

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><p>'<em>I would stop them,' <em>Leo commented off-handedly,_ 'But it looks like Fili and Kili want to handle this themselves. And this tree branch is oh-so-comfortable.'_

Gandalf spluttered on his pipe before groaning and smacking his face into the palm of his hand. He was _never_ leaving Leo to watch over the company ever again! _Don't just sit there and watch; save them!_

Leo's sigh echoed in his ears as if he had just tasked her with a most tedious chore. _'Oh but that means that I have to get up, stretch my muscles, fight some trolls, and you know that takes __**so**__ much physical effort…'_

_I am coming to help._ Gandalf growled as he turned tail and went back the way he came. _Now go rescue those dwarves!_

'_Are we just going to ignore the fact that this would be a wonderful learning experience for the little men? Fighting large, stinky creatures and such.' _Gandalf conveyed his displeasure to Leo, who winced at the force of his scolding silence. _'Fine, fine, I'll rescue the stubborn half-wits from the trolls.'_

Leo paused, before adding, _'But woe, if only I could save them from their own stupidity.'_

Gandalf forced himself not to smirk.

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

Despite Gandalf ordering her to help, Leo was in no hurry. She watched in amusement as one of the dwarf boys (_Fili? Kili? Dammit. Whichever the blonde one was!_) ran over to a brooding Thorin, informing the exiled-king of the missing ponies and the suspected trolls. The rest of the company was immediately sent into a flurry of activity, grabbing their weapons and donning their armor. And in the case of Bombur, finishing off the last sweet roll. Um. Ew. Dwarves should never be allowed to make slurping noises.

Ever.

Wrinkling her nose, Leo shifted her attention to the rest of the company as they made their way to the troll camp. She followed them quietly, traversing the tree branches as easily as if they were merely another forest path. If the company noticed the lack of bird noises, they probably attributed it to the presence of the trolls. Her eyes narrowed. Twelve? But where was the little one?

There was a fearful cry, and Leo recognized it as the voice of the gentle hobbit. Dammit! Whose bright idea was it to allow the defenseless halfling to face three fully grown trolls by himself? Idiots! Perhaps dwarves made it a game to hit their heads upon the stone until their brain cells withered completely?

Oh and look, the youngest one was going to just rush headlong into a troll camp and demand them to listen to him. Because that always worked. The poor hobbit was thrown like a sack of potatoes into the young dwarf (_Fili? Kili? Ugh…_). Leo muffled a groan of frustration as the dwarves simultaneously let out war cries –yes, reveal your position to the big bad trolls before a _surprise_ attack –and attempted to attack the troll camp. She rubbed her temples. How their race survived for so long, she would never comprehend. Survival of the fittest indeed.

Naturally, the trolls won. And the dwarves were humiliated as the large, stinky creatures demanded that they abandoned their weapons and clothing. Leo choked. _Why_, by the mercy of the Valar, would one _ever_ want to see these dwarves in their underclothes? Leo winced at the sight of Bombur, placing her hand over her mouth to resist the urge to barf. Yeah, not pretty. Plus she knew that those dwarves probably stank to high heaven –hardly an appetizing scent.

The dwarves were strung up on a spit, howling in rage but otherwise unable to do much else. Oh, but then the hobbit had to go and draw attention to himself. Leo applauded his courage, but silently berated him for such foolishness. Wait –was he seriously giving the trolls advice on how to cook dwarves? Oh this was rich. If it weren't for the fact that they were in a life-threatening situation, she might have allowed him to continue.

"Oi! I know what you're up to!" One troll scowled, finally catching on to Bilbo's endgame. "This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?!" Bilbo scrunched his cute little face in indignation.

"Fools!?" The trolls simultaneously exclaimed in offense. Oh their poor delicate feelings would never recover.

'_Gandalf? You here yet?'_ Leo's mind sought him out.

_I need more time._ Was his reply.

'_Now that, I can do.' _A feral grin etched itself onto her face as Leo slipped her two swords from their sheaths at her sides, the blades whispering with the movement. There was one troll with his back to her; her first victim.

As Bilbo began to back away nervously, the trolls closing in on him with looks of fury, there was movement in the trees branches over their shoulders. The moment Bilbo focused on it there was a flurry of movement as a woman jumped out of the trees and landed with her legs wrapped around the troll's neck, simultaneously reaching around its head and stabbing her swords into his eyes until they drove into the troll's brain. Bilbo's mouth dropped open.

The troll only had enough time to utter a guttural shout before it was dead. Leo was leaping to attack the other troll before the body of the previous one had even hit the floor.

"I got this, little one!" Leo called over her shoulder as she dodged a hit from one of the remaining trolls. "You go free the dwarves!"

Bilbo was frozen for a moment, before her words seemed to register in his head. Jumping in place, he scurried over to the spit with twelve roasting dwarves. His hands fumbled with the knots of the rope, trembling under the pressure and with the fear he had felt at seeing Leo's easy kill.

"By Mahal!" One of the dwarves, he wasn't sure which, snapped at him. "Just cut the damn things!"

"I- I- I don't have a knife!" Bilbo stuttered.

There was a collective groan.

Suddenly a knife imbedded itself in the dirt right in front of Bilbo's shoeless, exposed feet. The hobbit jumped in surprise with a yelp, and felt his heart leap into his throat. He glanced up to catch Leo sending a smirk his way before she was obscured by one of the trolls attacking her. Bilbo quickly reached for the knife, a little wary of how sharp the blade gleamed. He carefully began cutting the ropes around the dwarves, forgetting a small detail.

"Whoa, whoa!" Nori exclaimed.

"Aye, did ye forget about the fire below us, lad?" Balin added.

Bilbo felt increasingly frustrated, at himself and at the situation.

"Kick some dirt on it!" Fili exclaimed. "If you can at least get it down to embers we will be fine!"

The hobbit glanced over his shoulder to see Leo weaving her way through the troll's legs, dancing around them with a taunting laugh. Turning back, Bilbo began shoveling handfuls of dirt onto the fire, dampening it until all that remained were smolders. Then, he quickly took up Leo's knife again and sliced through the last rope pieces. The dwarves burst forth into an ungraceful heap, letting out yelps and curses.

But Bilbo was already turning his attention to their savior.

Leo was playing keep-away with the trolls, no longer having the advantage of surprise and not nearly tall enough to reach any vulnerable points on their bodies. So she kept on the move, acting as the decoy while the hobbit freed the dwarves. The trolls were slow and cumbersome, their reflexes barely keeping her in their sights.

But when the dwarves were freed, the ensuing racket drew the attentions of the trolls.

"Hey! What do ye think yer doing?" One of the trolls demanded of Bilbo, abandoning the annoying woman and turning back to the fire pit.

Leo cursed and darted around the second troll, coming up behind his companion and digging her swords into the back of one of his knees. She used all of her strength the force her swords through the thick skin of the troll and pulling the blades sideways in a ripping motion to shred the tendons there.

The troll roared in agony and fell forwards, not dead but certainly crippled. However the exchange cost Leo, for the momentary pause in her movements allowed the other troll to come up behind her and backhand her body. She let out a cry of pain as she was sent reeling into a tree, slamming bodily into the trunk and parallel to the ground. She felt her head and legs snap backwards around the shape of the tree, which dug into the width of her lower back, before gravity took over. The trunk snapped in half at the force of her collision.

_I am here._

Gandalf's voice spread relief through her body, and Leo allowed herself to relax and close her eyes, pain rippling throughout her body. Idly she wondered if her spine had snapped, for she could no longer feel her legs. Then again, she could no longer feel anything except where her back had hit the tree.

"May the dawn take you!" Gandalf's roar echoed through the clearing. Behind her eyelids, Leo heard a loud crack and suddenly felt the warmth of sunlight. A smile touched her face, before fading into a grimace.

"Oh my, oh dear!" She heard Bilbo's voice somewhere above her and felt the flutter of his hands across her side, though it was very light as if he were afraid to touch her. Other than that, Leo vaguely registered the dwarves and Gandalf speaking but the pain prevented any concentration.

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

Once they had all gained their bearings, the dwarves hurriedly reclaimed their belongings and donned their armor once more, muttering as their sheathed their weapons into their proper places. Then the dwarves congregated around Gandalf, giving him appreciative pats. Thorin gazed gratefully at the wizard, nodding his head in thanks.

"Where did you go, if I may ask?" Thorin asked Gandalf, though without blame or bitterness one might have expected.

Gandalf's eyes twinkled. "To look ahead."

Thorin raised his eyebrows. "And what brought you back?"

"Looking behind." Was his off-handed answer.

The two were interrupted by the sound of Bilbo's exclamations of worry, "Oh my, oh dear!" As if suddenly remembering the woman that had saved their lives, the dwarves rushed over to the collapsed tree. Many were surprised to see the strange woman that they had met at Bag End, her body lying twisted on the remains of a tree trunk. They could see that she was still breathing, as evidenced by the hissing noises that she made every time her diaphragm expanded. Her eyes were scrunched in pain, obviously still conscious.

As Gandalf approached, Bilbo looked up, his face distraught. "I'm afraid to move her…" He glanced back down in worry.

Gandalf nodded in agreement and knelt down next to Leo. "Does it feel like anything is broken, Miss Leo?"

Leo opened one eye, "Nah." Her voice was hoarse. She licked her lips, smirking at them through the pain. "I've been through worse."

Gandalf nodded and without preamble thrust his staff into Bilbo's hands. The hobbit nearly dropped the stick in surprise, struggling to find a comfortable way to hold the staff twice his height. Meanwhile, Gandalf gathered the limp woman in his arms, holding her gingerly as she bit back a groan.

"Ssssssshit." She hissed as the wizard began walking back to the company camp, every step seeming to reignite her aches no matter how smooth Gandalf attempted to keep his pace.

When they reached the camp Gandalf gently laid Leo down on the first bedroll that he came upon. Hovering just behind him was the nervous hobbit, eventually followed by the rest of the dwarves. Thorin watched the woman with an inscrutable gaze, unsure if he should be unhappy at her presence or grateful for her help.

"May I tend to her?" Oin, the company's medic, asked Gandalf.

Gandalf glanced at Oin, then to Leo, who nodded in agreement. Then the wizard moved aside to allow Oin access to the injured woman. Very carefully, Oin helped Leo out of her leather jerkin and roll onto her side. He rolled up her tunic and studied the blooming bruises on her back.

"How in Mahal's name did you not snap completely in half?" Oin shook his head in wonder. "Ye one lucky lass!"

Leo sucked in a breath as Oin gently prodded her lower back.

"Let us pray that you didn't fracture anything." Oin muttered, leaning back. "Unfortunately there is not much that we can do to fix bruises. No bones to be set, no wounds to stitch and wrap… All there is to do is wait."

Leo muttered a curse under her breath.

"Sorry lass." Oin grunted, smoothing a salve over the bruising that would help numb the pain. "Ye want a tonic? I could give ya something that'll knock ya out for a while."

"I'm good." Leo muttered as Oin smoothed her tunic back down and let her rest. Her gaze darted over the rest of the dwarves who were still watching her with suspicious curiosity. If she had the strength, she would have rolled her eyes. Saved their ungrateful hides and they still regarded her with caution. Thorin approached her, looking unsurprised at her presence.

"Thank you." He mumbled gruffly. "My men and I are in your debt."

She relished the way that the words seemed to physically ail the king. Even Bilbo seemed amused at Thorin's reluctant show of humility.

Leo smiled into the blankets she lay one. "Ah, shouldn't say such things, king under the hill." Thorin glared at her, but she was too busy stifling a groan as she took a too-large breath and her ribs and spine protested. "You never know when I might take advantage of you."

Ah, how she wished that Thorin had been the type to blush. But Leo took pleasure in seeing the red faces of the two dwarf boys, Fili and Kili, though she still did not know which one was which. Even some of the older dwarves were surprised, some amused, some offended. Leo closed her eyes and tried to relax her body, dozing in and out of sleep.

She heard movement and old paranoia had her immediately awake. She saw the blonde dwarf that was Thorin's nephew attempting to quietly ruffle through the bags placed next to the bedroll. When he saw that she was awake, he smiled bashfully.

"Ah, sorry." He muttered. "Just getting a few of my things."

"I see." Leo said without inflection. "Then I guess this must be your bedroll, hm?"

The young dwarf colored a little. "Er, yes. Not that I have a problem with it! You obviously need it more than I do."

Her eyes drifted to see the other dwarves also preparing for something. "Going somewhere, little dwarf? It is quite dark, no?"

"My name is Fili." The dwarf reminded her. "And we are just going back to investigate the troll camp and look for their hoard."

Leo hummed noncommittally. "Do not burden yourselves with too much treasure. We still have many league left to travel."

Fili's eyebrows lifted at the term 'we', certain that Thorin had already forbade the woman from joining them on the mission. Then again, perhaps saving their lives had changed his uncle's mind. The thought made Fili snort. Yeah, as if Thorin would ever change his mind.

"The brothers Dori, Nori, and Ori will be staying to watch over you and the camp." Fili informed the woman. With that he picked up his things and went to join those dwarves that were going to search whatever the trolls left behind.

_Great, now __**I'm**__ the one with a babysitter._

**{::… ҉ ..::}**

When Leo next opened her eyes, the company seemed to have returned from their mini expedition, bearing more than one or two little glittery trinkets. Most interestingly, Bilbo seemed to have found himself a sword. Leo narrowed her eyes to focus on the blade. Elven-make? Now that was impressive.

Slowly sitting up, Leo was pleased that she only winced at the pain in her back. No longer did it flare up as before. Gingerly poking her lower back, she held back a smirk. She was healing already. Yay for magical healing!

"Everyone get your rest." Thorin's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We leave in the morning."

Speaking of rest… Leo glanced at Fili. Ignoring the aches in her back, Leo struggled to stand up, taking deep breaths to help with the pain.

"What do you think you're doing?" Glancing up, Fili and Kili approached her, the previous looking more frustrated with her than worried.

Leo furrowed her brows at the blonde one. "You will need your bedroll if you are to get any rest tonight."

Kili playfully smacked his brother. "You scoundrel!" The brunette teased.

Fili batted Kili's hand away and scowled at Leo as if she had personally offended him. "I am not going to kick an injured woman out of a perfectly good bedroll. I'll share a blanket with my brother."

Kili choked, "Wait, what?"

"Sure," Fili shrugged, "We've had to share before. Ain't nothing wrong with it."

Kili did not look too happy about the decision, but he glanced over Leo and grudgingly consented. He had enough decency to agree to Fili's decision.

Leo stared at them as if they had both sprouted wings. "Um… Uh, thanks." She said, unsure how to react.

Fili just nodded and gathered his things. "Goodnight, my lady."

Kili dipped his head and murmured something similar.

"You look like they just asked you to tapdance." Gandalf's amused voice interrupted her from her shock. He gave her an amused look. "Let me guess, they showed you kindness?"

Leo glanced away, her eyes darkening. "… I am not used to such things."

Gandalf sighed and shook his head. Leo narrowed her eyes; she never appreciated sympathy. The wizard took a puff of his pipe, causing Leo to do a double-take as it had not been in his hands prior to their conversation. "That's a shame."

"Once they find me out, they will hate me." Leo shrugged, glaring at the ground. "Not that it would be anything new."

"I trust that they will understand, my dear."

"Trust gets you killed, istari."

Gandalf stared sadly at Leo as she limped off into the trees to be alone for a while.

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><p><strong>There will be more humor in the next chapter, I promise. Once Leo joins the quest, there will be countless opportunities to poke fun at our favorite Middle Earth companions! Especially Thorin, that grumpy old coot haha.<strong>

**Read and Review!**

**~Lilithia**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovelies! Here's another chapter for your (hopefully) happy holidays! Once again, I am not nearly talented enough to be able to claim LOTR or HOBBIT as my own works. I do not own anything…**

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><p>Alarm bells rang in her head. Leo's eyes flew open and she shot up, wincing with a silent curse as her bruises made themselves known. Right, no sudden movements. When the drumline stopped banging the inside of her cranium, Leo opened her eyes to look around.<p>

It was early morning. The morning birds were just beginning their songs, and beside the symphony of crickets and the unpleasant sound of dwarf snoring, nothing seemed out of place. The sun was dawning in the east, the sky blushing with pink and orange hues. Dew gathers on the tips of leaves and grass blades, moisture heavy in the air. A chilly wind picked up only to die down a moment later.

Still, her instincts warned her something was coming.

"Something bothers you?" Gandalf's voice interrupted her musings. He walked up behind her, gazing intently in the same direction as she.

Leo narrowed her eyes as she focused her attention northwest of their position. In one slow, graceful movement, she knelt down to the grass, balancing on her toes. One arm reached out to place itself in the damp grass, and Leo closed her eyes, concentrating.

"There is movement." Leo informed Gandalf quietly as she stood back up. "Whatever it is, it is moving fast and gaining speed. It's heading straight towards us."

"Should we wake the others?" Gandalf asked her.

Tilting her head, the woman waited for the breeze to pick up again before inhaling deeply. She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "I smell… rabbits? But not natural rabbits… They are touched by magic."

Gandalf's face suddenly alighted with amusement. "Ah. Then we have nothing to worry about! From the sound of it, that is my good friend Ra –"

"Wargs!" Leo interrupted in a hissed whisper, her eyes narrowing as she sniffed the air again. "A pack of wargs just came into range of my senses! Wake the company!"

But before either of them could make a move, a curious character raced towards them from the tree line on… By the Valar, was that a bunny-pulled sleigh? Aaaaand it was careening straight towards her. Time seemed to slow as the sleigh hurtled in the direction of Leo. Gandalf though for a moment that the poor woman would be run over, but then something else curious happened.

Leo made eye contact with the rabbits, and the little creatures seemed to balk in fear at the sight of her, taking a sudden turn to avoid coming close to her position. The man upon the sleigh let out a comical yelp as his mounts took an unexpected turn, throwing him off the sleigh.

The previous sleigh-driver leapt up, "Wait, come back!" And ran off to chase his bunny-sleigh. Leo shared a confused glance with Gandalf. However they returned their attentions when the crazy man managed to wrangle his rabbits (haha alliteration bitch) and drove them back to the clearing.

"Oh where was I?" The man muttered under his breath as he approached Gandalf, only Leo able to hear him due to her heightened senses.

"Is there something wrong, my old friend?" Gandalf posed.

"Oh right!" The man snapped his fingers. Then he began to hop from one foot to the next, pulling on his hair and beard. "Thieves! Murderers!"

As if he wasn't three feet in front of them **(-_-)**. Gandalf and Leo both closed their eyes with deadpan expressions as his voice boomed in their ears. _We are right here dammit!_

The commotion woke the company, and soon dwarves were jumping up (some in their underclothes… _my eyes_!), pulling various sharp and pointy objects from under their blankets and pillows in alarm. They glanced around wildly as the clearing was suddenly filled with their demanding of what the hell was going on. So much for stealth.

"Oi, Gloin!" someone called (it sounded like Bifur), "Put some clothes on! No one wants to see _that_!"

"Hey, who's the crazy old guy?" _Oh very eloquent Fili._

"Who dares disturb my rest?!" Dwalin demanded, holding up his maul angrily.

"Quiet down, ye drama queen!" Oin grumped.

"What is going on?!" Thorin's voice roared over the complaining dwarves, making his way over to Gandalf and the newcomer.

Leo scowled at the loud dwarves; ruining a perfectly nice morning! She glanced to the dwarf nearest her, who was blessedly silent, although he was carefully studying the area around them for any sign of danger. Let's see, what was his name again? Funky hat, pickaxe…

"Bofur?" Leo asked hopefully.

The dwarf turned to her with a polite smile. "Oh, well good mornin' to ye, lassie!"

She returned the smile, glancing down at his weapon of choice. Her eyebrows rose. "Do you always fight with a pickaxe, master dwarf?"

Bofur grinned. "Aye. It is the symbol of my profession and an unexpected weapon on the battlefield. Not many know how to defend themselves against the common pickaxe!"

Leo chuckled at that. "You have a point, sir dwarf."

Leaving Bofur to begin packing his things, Leo turned her head to see Thorin walk over to where she and Gandalf were speaking to the man dressed in… shrubbery.

"Please, Radagast!" Gandalf placed a firm but calming hand on the man's shoulder. "Calm yourself!" Then the gray wizard turned to Thorin and Leo. "My friends, this is a fellow wizard. His name is Radagast the Brown, guardian of the wild places."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Radagast turned to them with shining eyes. "New people! Oh I haven't met others in so long! Pleased to meet thee!" The brown wizard did an odd jump and landed in a bow. When he straightened, his eyes locked on Leo and he gave a loud gasp.

"Oh!" He zoomed over to Leo, invading very _personal_ space. The woman blinked as the wizard's face was suddenly right in front of her. She jumped back a little in surprise, but the wizard took small steps forward so that he could keep his face _five unnecessary inches in front of her._ His eyes flickered over her face and body, not in a lecherous way, but like a scholar studied a peculiar dissection. Leo wasn't sure which one was worse.

"Er, excuse me?" Leo growled, her shock turning into annoyance. "Can I help you?"

Radagast clapped his hands merrily and in the blink of an eye was zooming straight back over to Gandalf, invading his personal space as well (however the other wizard was used to this from Radagast). "Oh where did you find her, Gandalf?" He gasped, practically with stars in his eyes. "Such a rare creature! Quite marvelous! And in such shape and form! Oh I wish I could have one!"

Coming back to herself, Leo clenched her hands into fists and growled. "Oi! I'm right here! Don't talk about me as if I'm an object!"

"Oh no, no, no, dear!" Radagast zoomed right back to her, making placating gestures with his hands (so much zooming; he was making the other dwarves quite dizzy). "I did not mean to anger you! Oh now I've done it!" The brown wizard stomped his foot in self-irritation.

"Radagast!" Gandalf interrupted, huffing in annoyance. "I was under the impression that something was terribly wrong! Why are you here, and why are you in such distress?"

Taking a deep breath and opening his mouth as if to release a tirade of words, Radagast paused. His eyes squinted in confusion and his pursed his lips. "Oh what was it? Oh why do I always forget the important things?"

Leo groaned and smack her face into her palm.

"OH!" Radagast gasped in delight. "I got it! It's on the tip of my tongue…" Opening his mouth and sticking the aforementioned muscle out of his mouth, Radagast retrieved a rather large stick-bug from atop said tongue.

"Sauron's bloody testicles!" Leo yelped at the sight, feeling her stomach drop and looking away in disgust, making gagging noises.

Radagast recovered quickly, smiling as if pleased to be rid of the bugger (heh, get it?). "Gandalf!" He cried out, making everyone jump at his sudden distress. "A pack of wargs is headed this way!"

The company froze, and then everyone scrambled.

"Radagast!" Gandalf scolded. "That was the first thing that you should have said!"

Suddenly the clearing was a flurry of movement as the dwarves hurried to pack their things. Poor Bilbo just stood behind Gandalf, lookin oh-so-confused. Finally Leo walked over to the frozen hobbit and dragging him back to his bedroll, leaving the wizards to converse among themselves.

"I hesitate to ask," Bilbo began as Leo pointed at his bedroll in a silent command, and he began rolling it up, "But what are wargs?"

Leo's did not look up as she helped Bilbo pack his things. "Imagine wolves. Now imagine them twice as large. Now image giant wolves that must put up with the foul odor of orcs everyday. Plus rabies." Leo smiled at Bilbo and handed him his traveling pack. "Giant grumpy rabid wolves. Plus orc friends."

Bilbo stared at Leo in horror. The woman chuckled and patted him on the head as she stood. "Keep your sword at hand, little one."

"_Thorin_!"

Gandalf's booming voice drew everyone's attention as the tall wizard stomped up to the exiled king. "Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"

Thorin looked offended. "No one!"

Gandalf swore under his breath.

"What?" Thorin asked him. "What is it?"

A haunting howl echoed across the distance, sending a chill down their spines. Gandalf looked at Thorin with a heavy gaze.

"Warg scouts." Leo announced unnecessarily. She turned to gaze at the rest of the company. "An orc pack approaches us."

"You are being hunted." Gandalf informed Thorin.

Leo furrowed her brows. Assuming that none of the men with them had betrayed their king –and as much as she disliked dwarves, she would never doubt their loyalty –then how did the orcs know of their location? She would have noticed if anyone were following them (and promptly would have disposed of them).

'_I haven't sensed any spies.' _Leo's mind-voice informed Gandalf. _'I do not understand how they know where we are.'_

_Regardless, we must leave. There is a place not far from here that will provide us shelter. _Gandalf replied.

Leo froze. _No, absolutely not!_

_Imladris is the safest solution! _Gandalf insisted.

'_I refuse to go anywhere near Rivendell!' _Leo snapped, silently glaring at the wizard over the heads of dwarves and a hobbit. Another howl cut through the air, this time closer.

_I am afraid we do not have a choice. _Gandalf told her grimly.

Leo scowled. _'I'd rather take my chances with the orcs.'_

_Why do you detest the elves? _Gandalf asked her.

'_Vile, blood-sucking vegetarians!'_

Gandalf blinked. _That makes no sense…?_

'_Shut up, I don't need you contradicting me right now. I'm in a conflicted state of mind.' _Should she just take her chances with the orcs or face the pointy-eared pansies?

_But that makes no –_

'_I am a delicate flower dammit!'_

Bilbo wondered why Gandalf was staring at Leo as if she were insane. He also wondered why Leo was stomping on innocent flowers.

* * *

><p><strong>Crack? What crack? *looks away innocently* Anyway, a huge thanks to all of my readers! Read and Review!<strong>

**~Lilithia**


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